Chapter 30

Inspecting the installations they'd done at the Meat Packing plant went like clockwork for Ed. Then he discovered the electrical contractor had taken a shortcut and tied in one of the conveyor systems to the dedicated line for the main condenser assembly. He contacted Mr. Drakos to fill him in then went to speak with the site foreman. The man was livid and fired the contractor on the spot. Because of this setback they'd be delayed another week as another electrician ran new lines for the conveyor.

Ed finished his inspection and all of their work was done to spec and ready to be used. He triple checked all the connections on the assembly and signed off on the work. He'd have to come back to review the alterations the electrician did but their job was essentially done.

He went back to the office and Mr. Drakos was all smiles.

"Benny just called me to thank me for sending you to do the inspection. Catching that issue now just saved them tens of thousands of dollars in lost inventory and worker productivity. There will be a little extra in your paycheque this week, courtesy of Benny," his boss said with a smile.

"Wow! Thanks!" Ed grinned.

"Just keep up the good work. Once you've logged your report why don't you take the rest of the day off," the man said generously.

Ed smiled and nodded. When he got to the spare office where they did the data entry he looked at the clock. It was just past 3:30PM and it would likely take him over an hour to finish entering his report. So much for leaving early.

He left the office at five minutes after 5PM and headed home. Shirley had a date and Grace was working a double shift. He recalled how upset she was the night before so he decided to surprise her at work. Her dinner break was coming up so he stopped by one of her favorite restaurants and picked up some Pad Thai for both of them plus an extra order for Heather if she joined them. If she didn't it would be for Grace's lunch tomorrow.

He didn't go to the big box store very often but he knew this would cheer Grace up. He parked and made his way inside and spotted her working her cash desk. He checked the time and saw she had five minutes to go until her break. He poked about until he saw her turn off the light on her station. When she looked up she saw Ed standing in the aisle with a grin and take out Thai food. Her happy smile told him he'd got it right.

Heather snuck up on him and grabbed him around the waist.

"Hi big guy!" she smiled wickedly up at him.

"Hi Heather," he replied.

"Hey you skank, get your paws off my delivery boy!" Grace said with a grin.

"Ooo! The Delivery Boy fantasy! I have one of those too!" Heather giggled.

Ed blushed and Grace rolled her eyes.

Heather tried to peek in the bag. "Whatcha got tonight? Is it better than a peanut butter sandwich?"

"Pad Thai."

"Awww! No fair!" Heather moaned.

"I got an extra serving." Ed smiled and Heather's eyes lit up. She jumped up and kissed Ed surprising him and annoying Grace.

"You're the best!" the blonde grinned at him.

"That's true," he smiled with false modesty causing Grace to chuckle.

She led them out to the picnic table on the little patch of grass behind the loading bays. He opened the bag and Heather leaned over it to breathe in the scent. She yanked her face back as her eyes started to burn.

"What the fuck!" she gasped as her sinuses instantly cleared and her eyes teared.

"That would be Grace's spicy Pad Thai. I got mild and no spice as well. Take your pick." Ed said with a grin.

Grace's eyes lit up as Ed handed her the container. "Thanks Ed! This is so nice!" She smiled even wider when he handed her the extra peanuts and lime wedges.

"Gimme the mild." Heather said and took the offered container.

Ed took the remaining one and the three got down to the business of enjoying their dinners. A few coworkers walked by and looked at them with envy as they carried their brown bagged dinners.

The scent of the spicy Pad Thai wafted across the table and Ed's eyes began to burn as well. He wiped his eyes with a napkin and grinned at Grace. "I have no idea how you eat food with such hot spices! My mouth would be on fire!"

Heather was trying not to look like a wimp but her mild spice was giving her trouble. Her tongue was burning. She stared at Grace like she was from another planet.

"It's GOOD!" Grace said around a mouthful of the noodles.

"I'll take your word for it." Ed chuckled.

Their dinner break was only 30 minutes so they quickly finished and packed the trash back into the delivery bag. They headed back and decided to take a little walk around the building to the front doors as they had some extra time.

"Thank you so much for doing this Ed. It was really sweet of you! And expensive considering you had to feed this one too." Grace said pointing her thumb at her friend.

Heather grinned and jumped in front of Ed. She pulled his head down and gave him a deep kiss which went on a little too long but he didn't push her away. Grace felt a stab of jealousy.

The blonde pulled back and her eyes were dazed and dreamy. "Wow Ed! You're a really good kisser!"

Ed's tongue was feeling the afterburn of the residual spices from Heather's dinner. He was also a little dazed by the kiss so he was unprepared when Grace stepped in front of Heather. She crushed her body against his and planted her lips on his.

God! Grace's body felt so good and her lips were so soft and full and her tongue was so… HOT! OMIGOD!

Ed pulled back and stuck his tongue out to wave at it. "HAWWT!" he gasped.

Heather was looking at Grace with wide eyes. "You French kissed your brother?!?"

"Ssssecond cousins… I think." Grace said quietly watching Ed's mouth as her body tingled madly. Heather was right, Ed was an excellent kisser. How had he gotten so good?

"Second cousins? I thought you were brother and sister!" Heather gasped.

"No, Ed's mom and my mom were cousins. Ed came to live with us when his mom died in an accident," she explained.

"Still, he's family, right?" Heather was starting to get defensive as she was worried that Grace may have plans for the man she wanted.

Grace looked at Heather, annoyed. "Yes."

"Good!" Heather finished, feeling a little ruffled by the conversation.

"I- I should head home." Ed said around his burning tongue.

"Thanks again Ed." Grace said with a sweet smile. He smiled at her but his eyes were trapped by her lips. He unconsciously licked his lips then nodded and headed off towards his truck. She felt a thrill run through her body. He was recalling the kiss.

Grace turned for the front door and Heather fell in step beside her.

"What was that about?" Heather demanded.

Grace looked at her friend. "What was what about?"

"I saw you go all dreamy eyed when he left. Are you planning on hitting that?" she pressed.

"What? It was just a kiss and I'm allowed to love him as I grew up with him!" Grace growled.

"Exactly, you grew up with him. As brother and sister!" Heather insisted.

Grace's first instinct was to lash out at Heather but this was her only friend so she bit down on her harsh words. She looked closer at the blonde and saw the worry under the anger. She sighed. "I know."

Heather felt somewhat better by Grace's admission. The two entered the store and went back to their assigned cells.